Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 70

Devanagari script

तत्पश्चिमेकूटदंत उदग्दुर्गविनायकात् । दुर्गोपसर्गसंहर्ता रक्षेत्क्षेत्रमिदं सदा

Transliteration

tatpaścimekūṭadaṃta udagdurgavināyakāt | durgopasargasaṃhartā rakṣetkṣetramidaṃ sadā

Translation

À l’ouest de ce lieu se tient Kūṭadaṃta, au nord de Durgavināyaka. Dissipant les périls et les afflictions, il protège sans cesse ce kṣetra sacré.

Word by Word

• tat: then/there
• tat: Sambandha (Deictic/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; अव्ययीभाव-पूर्वक निर्देश (that/then)

• paścime: in the west
• paścime: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paścima (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण

• kūṭa-daṃtaḥ: Kūṭadanta
• kūṭa-daṃtaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kūṭa (प्रातिपदिक) + danta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; नाम

• udak-durga-vināyakāt: from Udak/Udag-Durga-Vināyaka
• udak-durga-vināyakāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: udak/udag (प्रातिपदिक) + durga (प्रातिपदिक) + vināyaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; अपादान

• durga-upasarga-saṃhartā: destroyer of perilous afflictions
• durga-upasarga-saṃhartā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: durga (प्रातिपदिक) + upasarga (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃhartṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; ‘संहर्ता’ = संहर्तृ (destroyer)

• rakṣet: should protect
• rakṣet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √rakṣ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधिलिङ्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• kṣetram: the sacred field
• kṣetram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्म

• idam: this
• idam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; सर्वनाम; क्षेत्रम् इति विशेषणम्

• sadā: always
• sadā: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kūṭadaṃta (Vināyaka) near Durgavināyaka in Avimukta circuit

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sages/interlocutor

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A narrow Kashi lane opening to a small shrine: Kūṭadaṃta Gaṇeśa stands as a vigilant guardian, with a protective aura pushing back shadowy ‘upasargas’. Nearby, a marker shrine of Durgavināyaka indicates the relative northward placement.

Characters & Entities

• Kūṭadaṃta
• Durgavināyaka
• Kāśī
• Vināyaka (Gaṇeśa)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine guardianship in Kāśī is ongoing—Gaṇeśa is praised as a remover of dangerous afflictions and a constant protector of the kṣetra.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kūṭadaṃta-Vināyaka, described in relation to Durgavināyaka within Kāśī’s sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No; the verse focuses on protective merit and the removal of peril (upasarga-saṃhāra).